Guard rail



Filed July 2, 1947 ly 13, 9 8- A. R. SCHULZE r 5,

eum RAIL 2 Sheds-Sheet 2 $1 I INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 13, 1948 GUARD RAIL Arthur R. Schulze, Johnstown, Pa, ass'ignor to Carnegie-Illinoil Steel Corporation, avcorporation of New Jersey Application July 2, 1947, Serial No. 758,600 3 Claims. (Cl.-23817) This invention relates to improvements in railroad track guard rails.

In railroad tracks particularly at frogs installed in switches and crossovers, and around trestles and curves, guard rails are mounted inside the running rails and provide means for engaging wheel flanges, thereby preventing train derailment. Guard rail faces which wheels engage are preferably of hard, wear-resistant material, such as manganese steel. Costs of such material are relatively high compared with soft. low carbon steel suitable for the rail supporting structure.

An object of the present invention is to provide guard rails wherein bearing surfaces are of hard, wear-resistant material and yet by improved design the quantity of such material needed is minimized.

Further objects of the invention are to provide improved preassembled guard rail units ready for installation in railroad track without alteration. of the track structure; to provide improved guard rail mountings for transmitting lateral thrusts directly to running rails; to provide unitary guard rails which do not interfere with spiking of running rails to ties; and, in a modified form of the invention, to provide im-.,

proved unitary guard rails and tie plates. I

2 l such unit is adapted for installation in existing railroad track without alteration of the track.

,As best shown in'Figure 2, guard rail unit ll comprises an elongated wearing rail l5, L-shaped securing brackets l6 and an angle iron assembly member l1, all permanently secured together as by welding.

Wearing rail I5 is an elongated bar extending parallel to running rail Ill at approximately the same height and spaced inwardly therefrom. At least the outer surface of the wearing rail adjacent the running rail is hardened and resistant Such , between the ties (Figures 1 and 3). There may In accomplishing these and other objects of the present invention, I have provided improved structural details, preferred forms of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a section of railroad track having installed thereon an improved guard rail embodying features of the present. invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially on line II-II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantially on line III-III of Figure 1;

and

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view similar to Figure 2, but showing a modified construction.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

Figure 1 shows one running rail it and ties ll of a conventional railroad track. The rail is secured to the ties by tie plates i2 and spikes I3, as well known in the art. A guard rail is mounted alongside the running rail for engagement by wheel flanges for preventing train derailment.

In accordance with the present invention, the guard rail and its mounting means are formed as a preassembled unit, designated N. In the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 3,

be either one or more brackets in each space betweenztwo ties. The brackets are preferably of the configuration shown in Figure 2. Each bracket has an upright leg l8, the upper inner corner of which is recessed to receive rail IS, a horizontal leg l9, adapted to extend under rail l0 and engage the under face thereof, and a gauge stop 2|! adapted to engage the outer side of rail III to position rail i5 with respect to rail i0 and transmit forces from the former to-the'latter. As the guard rail wears, it may be positioned closer to the running rail by insertion of shims between gauge stop 20 and the running rail.

Angle iron assembly member H has an upstanding leg 2] aflixed to the outer edges of uprightbracket legs l8 and a horizontal leg 22, apertured as at 23 to be spiked to the tie. The

assembly member transmits overturning forces applied to the guard rail to the ties.

In accordance with usual practice. foot guards are mounted between the ends of the guard rail and the running rail for preventing workers feet from being trapped between the rails. Said foot .guard includes a plate 24, welded or otherwise apertures 23 in assembly member- II. It is seen that such installation does not necessitate altering or disturbing existing track in any way.

Thrusts applied to the guard rail are'transmitted directly .to the running trail through brackets II and particularly horizontal legs ll and gauge stops ll thereof.

In the modified assembly showniin Figure 4 the tie plates are integrated with the guard rail unit, but otherwise the structure is similar.

The assembly of Figure 4 comprises a wearing rail ",brackets II and an angle iron assembly member 32, amxed together asin' the construction Just described. Tie plates as are afiixed between adjacent pairs of brackets ll as by welding, and thus constitute part of the unit. Due to this feature, it is unnecessary that the horizontal bracket legs extend tothe outside of-the rail, but they may terminate beneath the rail as shown. The integrated tie plates and the assembly member are spiked to the ties, the tie plate performing its usual function of fixing the running rail on the tie. v

Shims 34 may be interposed between brackets ti and the inner base flange of the running rail for properly positioning the guard rail.

assembly member welded to the outer edges of said upright legs and adapted to be spiked to ties.

2. A preassembled, railroad track guard rail unit for installation on existing railroad track without disturbing the latter comprising an elonsated wear-resistant steel rail of substantially rectangular cross section, a plurality of spaced L-shaped brackets of softer low-carbon steel having horizontal and upright legs, the upper inner corners of said upright legs having recesses ofconfiguration similar to the cross-section of said rail and receiving and supporting said rail and being welded thereto, said horizontal legs being adapted to extend beneath a rimning rail in the spaces between ties, gauge stops on the upper extremities of said horizontal legs for hooking over the flange of the running rail and positioning said first named rail inwardly of the running rail and in spaced relation above theties, and an elongated angle iron assembly member welded to the outer edges of said upright legs and adapted to be spiked to ties.

The modified unit has particular application for new track construction It has the advantage of providing guard rails and tie plates already assembled in a preformed unit, and thus decreases the number-0f separate parts that must be available.

In both forms of units the brackets and assembly members may be of soft, low carbon steel, since they are not subject to wear. Only the wearing rail or the bearing surface thereof need be of more costly wear-resistant material; thus the material cost of the unit may be kept at a minimum.

While I have shown only certain embodiments of the invention, it is apparent that the structure is subject to further modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore I do not wish to be limited by the disclosure set forth, but onlyby the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 1

l. A preassembled railroad track guard rail unit comprising an elongated wear-resistant steel rail of substantially rectangular cross section, a plurality of spaced L-shaped brackets of softer lowcarbon steel having horizontal and upright legs. the upper inner corners of said upright legs being recessed and receiving and supporting said rail and being welded thereto, said horizontal legs being adapted to extend beneath a running rail in the spaces between ties, gauge stops on the upper extremities of said horizontal legs for hooking over the flange of the running rail and positioning said first named rail, and an angle iron 3. A preassembled railroad track guard rail unit for installation on existing railroad track without disturbing the latter comprising an elongated wear-resistant steel rail of substantially rectangular cross section, a plurality of L-shaped brackets of softer low carbon steel spaced along the length of said rail and havinghorizontal and upright legs, the upper inner corners of said upright legs being recessed and receiving and supporting said rail and being welded thereto, said horizontal legs being adapted to extend beneath a running rail in the spaces between ties, gauge stops on the upper extremities of said horizontal legs for hooking over the flange of the running rail and positioning said first named rail inwardly of the running rail and in spaced relation above the ties, an elongated angle iron assembly member welded to the outer edges of said upright legs parallel to said first named rail and adapted to be spiked to ties, the extremities of said first named rail being bent downwardly, L-shaped brackets at the extremities of said first named rail similar to said first named brackets but of reduced height, and foot guard plates welded to said angle iron between the last pairs of brackets.

ARTHUR R. SCHULZE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 509,788 Baker Nov. 28, 1893 1,036,305 Morrison Aug. 20, 1912 1,272,437 Heard July 16, 1918 1,462,344 Johnson July 17, 1923 1,528,570 Salsich Mar. 3, 1925 2,019,743 Stewart Nov. 5, 1935 

